


The Head and The Heart

by mustangsgloves



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2018-08-31 08:42:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8571823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mustangsgloves/pseuds/mustangsgloves
Summary: Winry and Ed reach Central, and the return is pretty normal.





	1. Choices

When she first joined the Military, Riza Hawkeye knew that she would have to make a lot of split second decisions, and working under Colonel Roy Mustang only reinforced that fact.  But despite that, it was hard for her to adjust from carefully weighing the pros and cons of her options and actions to just making them in the moment.  It’s no surprise to her that oftentimes many of her choices are influenced by her emotions, try as she might to prevent that from happening.

She finds herself thinking about choices as the bullet flies towards her.

Riza vaguely registers Roy’s shout from behind her as she throws herself in front of his body.

It’s as if the world is moving in slow motion.

Riza had heard stories at the Academy about soldiers who, in the face of likely death, felt their entire world slow down.  And despite the slowing of time, they could only watch, the unable to stop their impending fate.  Riza and her best friend and dorm mate, Rebecca Catalina, had passed off these stories as tall tales designed to frighten the new recruits.

Apparently they were true.

Riza watches with an eerie sense of calm as the delayed recoil of the rifle sends the gunman stumbling backwards a few inches.  She no longer hears the shouts of the men on her side, nor those of the gang of crooks whom her team had been sent to apprehend.  Everything is oddly quiet.

All Riza can hear is her own heartbeat thrumming in her ears.  Her eyes close.

The impact of the bullet sends her reeling backwards, flying into the man behind her and forcing them both to the ground.  As she lands on a solid mass, she can’t help the relief that floods her entire being as said mass grasps her moments later and carefully lays her to the ground.

Oddly enough, it’s the spreading pain in her upper abdomen that gives her the reassurance she needs.

She took the bullet.  Roy is unscathed.

The world is fuzzy.  She keeps her eyes closed.

Riza thinks she hears a deep voice shouting a command from above her, but the ringing in her ears prevents her from being entirely sure.

The person holding her situates her ever so carefully so that her head lies in their lap and the rest of her body lies softly on the ground.

She can feel someone wiping her suddenly sweat-laden bangs off of her forehead.  The gesture is slow and careful, and the fingertips are callused and warm…they’re strangely reassuring.

“Captain.” The deep voice is back again, and this time Riza thinks it might be talking to her.  “Captain, hey.  I need you stay with me.  C’mon, just…” There’s a shuddering inhale.  “Just stay with me.”

She wants to respond, to give this person some sort of reassurance that she’s alright, but her body won’t listen.  The flaring pain in her left ribs makes it feel like flames are licking at her insides.  It prevents her from being able to communicate any thoughts she has.

There’s more shouting from around her and the deep voice is still murmuring, repeatedly saying “stay with me.”

There’s a warning yell and suddenly everything is muffled as the same person – a man, she thinks – leans down, covering her smaller body with his own.  She recoils reflexively as she feels the shock wave of a small explosion as a flash bang explodes somewhere above them.

Her bangs are pushed back.

“Hawkeye you have to stay with me.”  The voice is talking again.  “Hang in there.  Havoc is calling for help.  Get a grip, please…  C’mon, stay with me…”

As the voice trails off, Riza feels a drop of liquid hit her face, right beneath her nose.  She inhales shallowly and notes that the liquid lacks the tell-tale tangy scent of blood.  The drop slides down her cheek to her parted lips.  She tastes salt.

A hand cradles her jaw, and her head is readjusted in the man’s lap.  She moves with the small shudders of the person holding her.  She thinks he must be crying.

The shock wears off and the pain rushes in.  Riza suppresses a cry as her body begins to register the bullet lodged inside of it.

With what little strength she feels she has left, Riza forces her eyes open.

The pain is almost unbearable.  Her vision swims and she can only see a bit through her lidded gaze, but she can vaguely make out a shock of black hair and a pair of dark eyes.

Roy.

Of course.

“General…” She whispers.  The shaking stops and she watches as Roy’s eyes fly open and he reflexively pushes her bangs back once again.

The entire situation is far to reminiscent of their time under Central in the tunnels.  And though this time her throat hadn’t been cut, the effects were just the same.

“Captain.”  The relief in his voice is almost palpable.  She pretends to ignore the way he swipes his eyes and cheeks clear of tears before he continues.  “It’s okay.  Hang on.  Help is on it’s way, just…just hang in there.”

Riza raises her head, craning to try to get a view of her left side.  She inhales sharply as a stab of pain travels swiftly up her chest.  Roy softly guides her back down.

“Don’t stress yourself,” he says.  “It’s all going to be okay.”

“Sir, I can feel the wound,” she mutters.  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lie to me.”

“You’re going to be fine.” He replies, as if she hadn’t spoken.  Riza thinks he’s saying it more his own sake than hers.  She can’t bring herself to counter him.

Inhaling again she asks, “how bad is it?”

“You’re going to be okay.” He repeats.

She hadn’t registered the fact that the hand not cradling her face was pressed against her chest until he moved it, adjusting his position slightly so that he was putting more pressure on the bleeding wound.

She gasps as a jolt of pain rushes through her.

“Sorry, sorry,” he says quickly.  “Oh god, sorry.”

“’S not your fault,” she manages through gritted teeth.

“But it is…,” he responds.  “I should’ve been faster, I should’ve seen that guy pulling out that rifle and burned his hands before he could do anything with it.  I shouldn’t have accepted this assignment on such a short notice.  I should’ve come more prepared to deal with heavy fire…it should be me with a bullet in my body, not you.”

“It was…my choice.” Riza says, her eyes closing.

“No.  It shouldn’t be you.  No…hey!”  Roy’s voice is louder than before.  “Captain, no.  Stay with me.  Open your eyes!”

Riza wants to, wants to so badly, but the pain is numbing.  Her body won’t respond to anything her mind is telling it to do.

“Hawkeye I need you to open your eyes.”  Roy’s voice is panicked, frantic…desperate.  “Captain, I order you to open your eyes!”

A dull pain thrums through her entire body.

“Riza please,” Roy breathes.  “Stay with me.”

She blacks out.


	2. Unconcious

Riza’s eyes open blearily, the hospital’s white ceiling swims above her as she tries in vain to get her bearings.  With a jolt she realizes that she’s no longer in that godforsaken warehouse.  There are no longer sprays of bullets passing overhead nor the cries of people unfortunate enough to have been hit, like her.

Riza frowns as she tries to recall the last moments before she blacked out…  A whole lot of pain…  Someone holding her… Roy.

She bolts upright in her bed, and immediately regrets the decision.

“Hnng.” She inhales sharply through gritted teeth as the sudden movement tears at her bandages.  Gasping in a few shallow inhales, Riza tries move past the pain, but it doesn’t work.  She sits back onto the hospital bed and closes her eyes, not bothering to suppress the groan that escapes her.

“…lost an alarmingly lot of blood, she’s only questionably stable as we speak.”

Riza hears a female voice from outside her door.  She stills, straining to hear the quiet conversation.

“The bullet lodged just above her left rib.  We’re lucky it wasn’t a few centimeters higher or lower, otherwise it would’ve shattered her ribcage and done a lot more internal damage than it already has now.  She’s millimeters away from a punctured lung.”

“So what’s the verdict, doc?” A voice replies.  A second later Riza registers it as Havoc.

"It’s as I said, First Lieutenant.” The initial speaker, the doctor, responds.  “She’s stable, but only barely.  Lost a surprisingly amount of blood for the size of the entrance.  Not to mention the fact that the wound was infected when she was brought in.  Those bullets were not kept clean by any means, and the warehouse itself was filthy.”

Riza hears the doctor sigh before continuing, “we’re doing everything we can to keep the infection from spreading.  My colleagues still don’t feel confident enough to say that she’ll make a full recovery, but she’s strong.  She’s petite, and between her blood loss the bullet itself and the infection that’s threatening to spread, there’s a lot of factors working against her.”

Riza listens as Havoc swears quietly.

“But, this isn’t the first time her body has gone through this ordeal.  We treated her for similar blood loss and general injuries only a few years ago, back after the Promised Day.  Her body has pulled through before, and despite being a few years older, she’s healthy, and I think she can do it again.”

“Damn…” Havoc says.  Riza can picture him chewing at his unlit cigarette and rubbing the back of his neck as he considers what the doctor has told him.  “I was hoping I’d have better news to tell the Chief.”

“General Mustang should probably not be notified of her condition until it takes a unquestionable turn for the better.  I’ve seen him around the building a few times the past week, and he’s looking a little under the weather –”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Havoc interrupts.  “I haven’t seen him this worked up since, well…  Damn, it was probably about two years ago when Alphonse had that health scare, and even then it was only a quarter of how bad he is now.”

“So you understand where I am coming from when I tell you to please, abstain from communicating anything regarding the Captain’s condition until we are sure that she is on a positive trajectory towards recovery.”

“Alright,” Havoc replies.  “It’ll be tough, but I’ll let the other men know, and the Elrics.  Has anyone visited the Captain since she was brought in?”

“Well your General has been in almost every day,” the doctor replied.  “Goes inside and talks to her, even though we remind him that she won’t be able to respond, we’re keeping her on a lot of drugs to keep the pain and infection at a minimum…  We don’t give him specific updates, just tell him that she’s alright, which is the truth.  I try not to intrude on his conversations, but from what little I’ve heard it sounds like he blames himself for what happened.”

Havoc lets out a loud sigh.  “That sounds like the General, alright.  He and Hawkeye are always blaming themselves for whatever happens to the other.”

The doctor hums in response.  “Forgive my saying so – I may very well be out of my boundaries – but those two are rather inseparable, are they not?”

Havoc laughs.  “I don’t think I’ve ever met two people more devoted to eachother.”

“It’s important to have people in our lives like that,” the doctor replies.  Her voice is getting quieter.

“Don’t I know it,” Havoc says.  Their footsteps begin to fade as the pair walks down the hallway.

Riza sighs, and stares up at the ceiling, trying to organize all the information she had just taken in.

One – she had lost a lot of blood.  That wasn’t anything new, she was well aware due to the lightheadedness she was feeling as she tried to consolidate the new information.  Besides, the doctor was right, her body had dealt with this before, the Promised Day wasn’t all that long ago.  Riza tries to think of that as a positive thing, and not the contrasting view that she may be weaker because of it, and that now she’s older.

Two – they weren’t sure if she was going to make a full recovery.  That part scared her more than she cared to admit.  Yes, she was extremely grateful to be alive, especially with what the doctor had said about the placement of the bullet.  But the idea of not making a full recovery, well…it was rather unsettling.

Three – Roy wasn’t to know anything of her condition until she was making a recovery.  That part was reasonable, especially with what Havoc had said regarding Roy’s current state.  It was reassuring to know that the General had been in often to see her, even if it made her feel slightly guilty to think of taking him away from work and her being the source of so much unnecessary worry.  Hopefully Havoc was keeping him from getting too stressed about everything, and hopefully the Lieutenant wasn’t smoking in the office, but that was even less likely.

Riza sighs.  She had been Roy’s adjutant for so many years, and yet here she was, sitting useless in a hospital bed because of some stupid opponent who had been shooting at her team.  But she doesn’t regret it.  Not at all, really.  She knows that if she hadn’t taken the bullet, it is very likely that it would be Roy laying here instead.  The reminder of this, the reminder that Roy is safe because of her choice, is enough to make everything alright.

The thought is surprisingly calming as she drifts back into unconsciousness.


	3. Forgiveness

“You know,” Roy says softly.  “I never really forgave myself for leaving, when we were kids.”  Roy sighs.  “Even for those two week visits back to Central to see Chris and the girls.”

There’s no response, but Roy isn’t expecting one.  Riza’s quiet breaths puff evenly every few seconds in the sterile hospital bed in front of him.  The doctors had told him that she would be under a lot of drugs to keep the pain down, and her infection at bay.  Roy supposes that after this visit, after this awkward first one, that this might get easier.

He leans back in the stiff chair.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for this either.”  He sighs.  “It’s my fault you’re in here, my fault I didn’t see that stupid bullet quicker.”

He laughs quietly.  “Though I don’t know if it’d have made a big difference.  We both know the second you realized it was coming that you were set on keeping it from reaching me, even if it meant you would take it instead.”

He shakes his head, a sad smile on his face, and keeps himself from reaching out and pushing her bangs back, like he did in that godforsaken warehouse.  “I really wish you wouldn’t do that.  Not that I’m not grateful, believe me, I am.  I just wish you were back at the office, not in the hospital.  I wish that your choice didn’t involve you getting hurt.  But you’re stubborn, and yeah, I’ve always known that.”

He feels kind of stupid, having a conversation when he knows he won’t be getting any responses, but it’s rather relieving to communicate everything he’s feeling.  He fiddles with the hem of his coat in his lap before clearing his throat.

“You always look so peaceful when you’re asleep.”  He feels his face flush just saying it, even though Riza doesn’t hear him.  “Even when we were kids.  I remember there was one morning, I think it was a Saturday, when Master Hawkeye had to leave on an unexpected trip.

“Your father, he woke me up, which was unsettling to say the least.  That man really lived up to his name, you know.  There I was, hearing a knock on my bedroom door and expecting my teacher’s pretty daughter.  Instead when I opened my eyes when the footsteps stopped, I see a hook nose, almost like a beak, and two piercing yellow eyes, just… staring at me.  I might’ve yelped, but you don’t know that.”

Roy relaxes a bit into the uncomfortable chair.

He may feel ridiculous, but the sentences are coming easier now.  Talking about their childhood is painful, but the words come without hesitation.

“Anyways, it was really early in the morning, far too early to try to be waking up a teenage boy, really.  But I got up and followed him downstairs.  Didn’t want him to get mad, after all.  He made his preparations quickly and quietly, not even bothering to eat a proper breakfast, and then he left.  Though he did tell me to wake you up.

“You were exhausted.  The week before you had been helping Mrs. Lowlan in town, getting back late every night.  So I waited a half hour before going into your room, you know, trying to give you some time to sleep, and I swear I went inside with the intention of waking you, I really did.”

Roy grins.  “But you were sound asleep,  _snoring_  even.  Well, not snoring, but your breaths made little noises.  They’re doing that now, too.  You looked so peaceful, your face was completely relaxed, the furrows that you always wore when I annoyed you weren’t there…everything felt so calm.  I couldn’t wake you up.

“So I didn’t, and boy did that come back to bite me in the ass later.  The second you got up, two hours later, and realized the time, you were alarmingly awake when you told me just exactly how stupid it was of me to not wake you earlier.  It was worth it though; you didn’t seem as tired as before.”

Riza shifts in her sleep, a small frown on her face.  Roy pauses, fiddling aimlessly with his coat.  The room is silent save for the ticking of the clock on the nightstand and the quiet beeps and whirs of the few machines present.

“I’m sorry.”  It feels good to say it and not have her rebuke it with “don’t be,” or, “it’s not your fault.”  He is sorry, he should be, and it is his fault.

“I’m sorry I got you all wrapped up in it all, everything.  I know it was all off your own accord, joining the military, and I respect that.  I do.  You’re a damn good soldier, and an even better shot.  I just wish I hadn’t made it so complicated. If I hadn’t asked for you to be under my command you’d have so many fewer scars.  In asking, I…I just put a target on your back.”

Roy takes a deep breath.

“Take the Promised Day, Hawkeye.  Even you can’t deny that what they did to you was to get to me.  Hell, even before that, when Bradley reassigned you.  To get to me.  I can’t say that I regret having you under my command, despite it all.”

He almost laughs.  “I’m selfish that way.  But I wish it was all without the pain, and the scars, and the reality that you would do anything to keep me safe.”

He pauses before whispering, “you know I’d do anything to keep you safe, don’t you?  Anything.”

He feels a lump forming in his throat, and glances at his watch.  12:42. He needs to get back to the office: his lunch break is almost over.  He’s grateful for the realization, the lump keeps growing.

Blinking quickly, he looks at his subordinate.  Not just his subordinate, his  _friend_.  Hell, the most important person in his life.

He stands up, gathering his coat, and before he can think better of it, he bends at the waist and presses a quick kiss to her forehead, brushing her bangs back.

“Keep fighting, Hawkeye.  I still need my queen.”


	4. Unknown

“Mei!” A frantic yell startles the young woman out of her focused reading of the Amestrian poetry book given to her from the Elric/Rockbells last Solstice.

“Ling?” Mei frowns.  Her brother did not often have free time during the day, given his position as heir to the throne of Emperor of Xing.

The man doubles over, wheezing as he tries to catch his breath.

“Ling what is it? What’s wrong?” Raising an eyebrow, she continues, “Did you say something stupid again? Or are you asking me for advice with what to get Lan Fan for this Solstice?”

“Not…about…Lan Fan,” he manages, talking quickly between his gasping breaths.  “It…he just…collapsed…Not… Not sure what… to do…” Ling finishes.

“Ling, slow down,” Mei says, “Who is ‘he’?”

“Al…” Ling says, a nervous look on his face.

“What?!” Mei exclaims, jumping up from her chair.  The book falls to the floor.

Pushing past her brother, Mei rushes towards the door.  “When was this? Where is he?”

Ling sighs before jogging after her.  “We were talking in the library, he’s always there.  I figured it would be as good a time as any to catch him to talk some politics, seeing as he’s the Amestrian ambassad–”

“I know what job my boyfriend has, Ling,” Mei snaps.  “What happened?”

“We were talking, he got up to grab a different book, and then he just collapsed.”

Mei veers to the right, leading them down an ornately decorated hallway.

“Please tell me you didn’t just leave him there,” Mei asks over her shoulder.

Ling rolls his eyes, “who do you take me for, Mei?” He replies.  “Of course someone is with him.  Lan Fan heard my yelling and came right away.”

“Lucky for you,” Mei bites out.

“Hey, listen,” Ling says, catching up to her as they reached the library.  “He’s gonna be alright, I promise.”

Mei ignores him and pushes into the room.

A long, lanky, figure lays on the ground, a shorter one crouches beside it.  Mei’s heart speeds up.  She sprints to kneel next to Lan Fan.

“Is he alright?” She whispers.

The older woman turns to her, uncertainty in her eyes.  “I’m not one to lie to you, Mei,” Lan Fan replies quietly.  “I’m not sure.”

Mei’s resolve breaks all at once.  She reaches for one of Al’s hands.

“He’s going to be okay,” Ling repeats from beside her.  Mei turns to him, tears bubbling up in her eyes.  “I just promised, remember?”

Mei doesn’t respond.

“Have I ever broken a promise?” Ling asks.

Mei shakes her head.

“I’ll alert the doctors that we have someone coming in,” Lan Fan says, straightening up.  “And somebody should probably call Edward…”

“I will,” Mei mutters.

“Are you sure?” Ling asks.

“It’s not like he’s dead,” Mei snaps.  “I can manage.”

“Of course.”

* * *

 

“Ed! Phone!” Winry shouts.

“What?” Ed yells back.

“Telephone! I’m slightly busy right now, trying to fix your damn leg!”

“Alright, alright! Calm down, I’m going, Gear Head,” Ed laughs.  Winry sighs loudly and gives him an annoyed, but affectionate, look.

Setting down the textbook he was reading, Ed crosses the living room to the kitchen.  He walks a little slower than usual, simply due to the plain prosthetic connected to his body.

Ed picks up the receiver, “hello?”

“Edward,” a young woman’s voice answers.

“Mei?” Ed asks.

“Yes.  Hi… Do you have a few minutes?”

“Of course,” Ed says, sitting down.  “Winry is just working on my leg right now, I don’t think she’s all that happy that I broke it again.  Talk for as long as you want, I’m trying to avoid her wrath.”

There’s a slightly forced laugh from the other end of the line.  Ed frowns.

“What’s wrong?”

There’s a pause before, “it’s about Al…”

Ed’s heart constricts in his chest.  Feeling his face pale, he takes a deep breath, and tries to calm his already rising panic.

“What?” He breathes.

“He’s alright, just…”

“What, Mei,” Ed’s tone comes out far more threatening than he means for it to be.

“We don’t know what caused it, but he just collapsed.  We are about to leave for Central Hospital – our Medicinal Alkahestry can do a lot, but we don’t know enough about what happened, or what his body is responding to, if anything.  We were heading to Central soon anyways, to talk with Grumman, but we’ll just leave now –”

“I’m coming to Xing,” Ed interrupts.

“Edward –” Mei’s voice cuts as there’s some shuffling on her end.

“Ed don’t be stupid,” Ling’s voice snaps.  Ed tries in vain to bite down a snarky response.  It doesn’t quite work.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Ling,” Ed retorts.  “He’s my brother.  I don’t care what happened, I’m coming.”

“Listen,” Ling replies, “I wasn’t going to tell you to not come, I know there’s no stopping you.  And besides, it’s best if you come and I want you to.  I was simply going to tell you to just meet us in Central.  It’d be stupid for you to come to Xing, and for us to wait for you to arrive.  We have to get Al to Central.”

Ed takes a deep breath, counting the inhale in his head.  _One…Two…Three…_   “Fine.”

“Catch the next train there,” Ling says. “We’ll meet you.  And don’t worry about a place to stay, I’m sure your commanding officers will be welcoming, especially that one you call “bastard” all of the time.”

Ignoring Ling’s attempt to lighten the mood, Ed sighs.  “See you then.”

Hanging up, he tries to ground himself, to calm the spinning world.  He slumps into one of the kitchen chairs, fingers going to press against the bridge of his nose.

“I finished your leg.  I really wish you would quit breaking it,” Winry says as she enters the kitchen.

“Mmhmm…” Ed hums.

Winry comes to stand in front of him.

“Who was it?” She asks, wiping grease off of her hands.

“Mei and Ling,” Ed replies.

Sensing the mood, Winry frowns.  “What happened.”

“Al,” Ed says, looking up at his wife.  Her expression falls.  “He collapsed.  They don’t know what happened…or if he’s going to be alright.”

Winry stiffens, eyes widening slightly.  “Where are we going.”

Despite the circumstances, Ed feels his heart swell with his overwhelming appreciation and affection for her.  _Where are_ we _going_ …

“Central.”

Winry nods.

He stands, and squeezes Winry’s shoulder as he passes her.  “I’m glad you’re finished with my leg, because we’ve got to pay Colonel Bastard a visit.”


	5. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winry and Ed reach Central, and the return is pretty normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I haven't written in so long, but this just came out of nowhere. I'm on a little run right now of writing ideas, so let's see what happens. Sorry to have left it for so long!

Edward doesn’t relax for the entire ride to Central. Winry grasps his hand, tightly, until the train pulls to a shuddering stop in Central’s station, but doesn’t say anything. He’s grateful for that, grateful that his best friend knows him so well, and knows that he can’t talk right now. Because he’s afraid if he opens his mouth to speak, he’ll start crying instead.

 

The pair steps off the train into the usually chaotic station, and take a moment to regain their bearings before heading towards the gate that spills out into the street.

 

Winry speaks first, her voice slightly scratchy from the multiple hours of silence. “What’s our plan? Are we meeting somebody here?”

 

Ed runs a hand through his disheveled hair – desperately in need of a trim, something he was planning on doing in the next few days and would have to wait – and sighs. “I don’t really have a plan, Win,” he admits. “I just know we have to be here, now.”

 

“Agreed,” she says, taking his free hand and squeezing it. “Let’s try to get a hold of Ling and Mei and see if they’re here yet, that way we can get an idea of where we need to go.”

 

“Alright.” Ed stops messing with his hair, picks up his haphazardly packed bag, and starts forward, only to stop a moment later.

 

“Fullmetal – er… Edward!” A familiar voice shouts loudly over the general din of the station. Ed glances at Winry before looking to find the source of the yell.

 

Ed shakes his head with a slight smile as he sees a lanky, sandy-haired man in an Amestrian uniform making his way towards him.

 

“Havoc,” Ed greets as the man reaches them. The taller man gives him and Winry a brief embrace before stepping back, smiling crookedly, an unlit cigarette behind his ear.

 

“Ed, Winry. So good to see you both!” He sobers up slightly and continues. “Sorry your visit to Central isn’t under better circumstances.”

 

Ed frowns, “wait, do you know…?”

 

Havoc nods. “Yeah, Mei and Rebecca have stayed really close since the Promised Day, you know.”

 

Winry smiles and nods, and Havoc continues.

 

“Anyways, Mei called Becca about an hour ago, told her the situation, asked her if someone could meet you two at the station and get you where you need to be when you need to be there. Becca is working so I just took my break early to come get you.”

 

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Winry says. “We really appreciate it.”

 

“Of course,” Havoc says, waving Winry’s thanks aside. “You know we would all do anything for you guys, the whole lot of you.”

 

Ed fights down the growing warmth in his chest. He claps a hand on Havoc’s shoulder and pushes past the man, “thanks, Havoc, now let’s get going, hopefully you’ve stayed quit on those cigarettes, I want to be moving quickly here and don’t want your damn lungs making us late.”

 

As he continues on, he hears Winry sigh and begin to apologize to Havoc, who simply laughs. “Alright, Boss, whatever you say.”

 

The trio moves towards the government issued car parked at the curb, and Havoc continues. “And for the record, I’ve quit.”

 

“And how do you explain that little thing tucked behind your ear?” Winry asks teasingly as they pile into the vehicle.

 

“Ah, this?” Havoc responds, taking the cigarette and rolling it between his fingers. “Just…an old habit.”

 

There’s something unspoken there, but Ed doesn’t have enough energy to pursue it. “Where to first, Lieutenant?”

 

Havoc puts the car in gear and pulls into the busy street, looking up briefly to meet Ed’s eyes in the review mirror. “Central Command. I gotta get back, and it’s in close proximity to the Madames’ – where I imagine you’ll be staying – and the hospital.”

 

“Wonderful,” Ed sighs, reaching absentmindedly for his wife’s hand beside him. “We get to see Colonel Bastard first thing.”

 

“That’s General Bastard to you, Boss,” Havoc responds, flashing a grin. Ed huffs and fights down a smile, silently grateful for the Lieutenant’s attempts to keep the mood light.

 

“Whatever,” he replies. “Just get to Central Command without killing us, alright?”

 

 

No matter how many times he comes back, Central Command always takes a little bit of adjusting to return to. Ed never felt incredibly comfortable in the place anyways, being – admittedly – short, young, quite temperamental, and one of the infamous “State Alchemists” that the government felt so oddly about. And even now, having regained his flesh and blood arm, and retired from the State Alchemist division, Ed still attracts attention.

 

People still stare, but he no longer had any real power around here, it was all just word of mouth – people taking what they’d heard he’d done, and assuming things about him. He hated it. He never wanted to be well-known, he’d just wanted his mom back… his mom and his baby brother’s body.

 

Ed inhales sharply, and immediately feels Winry’s concerned gaze find him. He looks to her and gives her a reassuring smile, one that is too half-hearted for her to really believe. She silently takes his hand, something he’s been beyond grateful for the past 24-hours, and they continue down the corridor.

 

Havoc’s pace is almost too fast – the man’s long legs covering more ground than Ed can keep up with at the moment with his newly-repaired leg aching slightly – so Ed starts a conversation to try to keep the man closer.

 

“So, promotions and all and the Bastard still doesn’t get a new office?” He asks. Winry gives him a look, but there’s humor and understanding on her face.

 

Havoc glances back, and slows his pace. “Nah, Mustang talked to us about it. We all thought there are too many memories in that place to just up and leave it, ya know? I mean, that’s where we met you guys, where we’ve been since the start as a team…”

 

Pausing briefly to offer a hasty salute to a passing officer, Havoc ruffles his hair and sighs before continuing. “It’s where our family’s been. We can’t leave it.”

 

“Fair,” Ed responds. The nostalgia is unexpectedly emotional, and he swallows hard, hating the way that almost anything can set him off at the moment.

 

“Here we go,” Havoc says, stopping at the two familiar oak doors – the Amestrian Military’s insignia printed boldly in the middle of each. “I uh…I didn’t mention you were coming to anybody else, yet, so they’re going to be surprised, and probably ask questions. I’m sorry.”

 

Winry gives him a large smile and goes to open the door, “no worries, Lieutenant,” she says. “You’ve done a lot already, thank you.”

 

“Sure,” Havoc responds. “I don’t know what mood the Chief will be in, but here’s hoping that Hawkeye hasn’t had to yell at him too much today.”

 

With that, Winry pulls the door open, and they enter.


End file.
